1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a probe card for conducting an inspection by branching each of a plurality of power supply channels for inspection and using a probe connected to each of a power supply wiring portion in the number larger than that of the power supply channels and an inspection apparatus using the probe card.
2. Background Art
An inspection apparatus for inspecting an inspection target such as an IC chip on a semiconductor wafer is generally known. This inspection is carried out by bringing a probe of this inspection apparatus to each electrode of the inspection target.
In such an inspection apparatus, as shown in FIG. 1, power supply channels 2 for inspection from a tester 1 are provided in the number equal to that of IC chips 4 of a semiconductor wafer 3 to be inspected. However, if the number of the power supply channels 2 is equal to that of the IC chips 4, the number of the IC chips 4 is increased, and even if probes 6 are increased according to the increase, all the IC chips 4 cannot be measured at the same time. That is, even though the number of probes 6 that can be in contact with all the IC chips 4 on the semiconductor wafer 3 are prepared on a probe card 5 side, if the tester 1 side does not correspond to all the IC chips 4, simultaneous measurement cannot be made.
In order to solve the above problem, as shown in FIG. 2, there is known an inspection device for simultaneously measuring the IC chips 4 in the number larger than the number of the power supply channels 2 by branching the power supply channel 2 of the tester 1 on the probe card 5 into plural. An example of such an inspection apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-122632 (Patent Document 1).
In this inspection apparatus, if a defective IC chip is included, a normal power supply cannot be applied to other normal IC chips connected to the same power supply channel 2 as the defective IC chip. Thus, a switching mechanism 7 is provided, and in order to exclude the IC chip determined as defected from measurement targets, the defective IC chip is separated from the power supply by the switching mechanism 7, fluctuation in a potential or shortage in a current supply amount is suppressed, and other elements are inspected.